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There’s a good chance the shifts will be short for both teams on Tuesday night at Pepsi Center.

The Colorado Avalanche were in Minnesota Monday night beating the Wild 4-2, while the Jets will have to deal with the altitude of Denver, which comes by its Mile High City nickname honestly. With less oxygen at higher altitudes, the body adapts by breathing faster and having a higher heart rate.

“It could be a real issue,” Jets head coach Claude Noel said. “If you get stuck on long shifts you could really have a hard time. You’ve got to go 30-, 35-, 40-second shifts and get the change, because if you get stuck your recovery really hits the wall. So it’s really tough. It’s an advantage to them because they’re used to it.”

Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd have played plenty of games in Denver thanks to their days in Chicago and Mark Stuart went to university at Colorado College. The rest of the young Jets haven’t played many games in Denver since the Atlanta Thrashers spent the last decade in the Eastern Conference. Centre Nik Antropov said the altitude could be a problem for the inexperienced players, but winger Blake Wheeler believes it’s a case of mind over matter.

“Especially coming off a break, it’s going to be a challenge,” Wheeler said. “But I think that part of that is mental anyway, so just tough it out and take a little bit shorter shifts, and it shouldn’t be a problem.”

The Avs, however, will have their own issues to deal with playing back-to-back contests. It’s never easy playing on consecutive nights, as the Jets have proven this season with their 0-5 record.

“Back-to-backs are tough,” Ladd said. “Energy-wise they probably won’t be at peak level, but we have to take advantage of that, and that’s using our energy to our advantage and having an extra day.”

Noel believes the Avalanche will provide a stiff challenge no matter what.

“They have a really fast team,” he said. “They’ve got good speed throughout their lineup. They’re young.”

All things considered, Noel was happy with Winnipeg’s practice on Monday morning at MTS Centre, which was their first workout after a two-day Christmas break.

“Some guys were a little rusty,” Noel said. “We really battled through, and it was really good. The recovery wasn’t great, but that’s what happens. You get lethargic, and your hands aren’t great. It was a quick two-day turnaround. It was good for us. I think a lot of guys had family in town, so I don’t know if they’re more rested or less rested, so we’ll see.”